All posts by Brian Robin
An Autumn Ramble at Anglesea Nature Trails and Managed Forest
Nature Club News September 2019
NATURE CLUB NEWS September 2019
by John Dickson
Peter Thoem’s Owls Around Us presentation on August 25th drew a capacity crowd to the Grey Roots theatre for his entertaining and enlightening talk. Thoem has been a volunteer ambassador for the Owl Foundation since 2016.
The Bruce Birding Club has been out twice recently with both tours being led by Kiah Jasper.
On August 28th twenty one club members visited the Exeter and the West Perth Lagoons. Fred Jazvac reported that “Today was a great shorebirding day seeing 13 species, with the Baird’s Sandpiper seen at Chalmers Pond getting plenty of excitement as it was in Bruce County, making the eBird listers very happy. The Red-necked Phalarope was the first phalarope of the year for the BBC, and that bird was well photographed. Considering we were only in shorebird habitat, the total of 56 birds was excellent.”
On September 4th – Kiah was once more the leader taking the group from Southampton to north of Elsinore, to Wiarton and Isaac Lake,
The best bird of the day was a flyover, early arrival Black Scoter. A Lesser Yellowlegs gave lessons on patience, showing close-by observers, how to swallow a large tadpole. Two American Kestrels proudly showed off their new families to us. 65 species were recorded for the day.
Stephane Menu, Station Scientist at the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory reported that migration still seems slow, but a few highlights including Common Nighthawks, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, and a Gray-cheeked Thrush have been documented. Another observation was “On August 26, we were surprised by a large group of a species not usually seen in such numbers at Cabot Head: six young Bald Eagles were soaring together! These birds were all hatched this summer, and must have come from several nests on the Bruce Peninsula.” You can meet Stephane and other staff and volunteers, at the Observatory when they will be hosting their annual Open House on Saturday September 28, from 9AM to 2PM. Witness bird banding observations and see where the migrating birds stream in for a rest. For more details visit www.bpbo.ca
On August 30th, the Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores held another Community Tagging Day, with 50 Monarchs tagged and released. Out of town visitor Joan Gamey-Langrell posted this:
Yesterday was an amazing morning. I got to learn about the Pod Squad and see them in action. What an amazing group of people. They are doing great work for the monarch butterflies. They catch them, tag them and release them. I got to send my first tagged butterfly south. It was very emotional for me. It is a great experience. Bring your children and grandchildren out to take part. It will be a forever memory. I know it will be for me. Thank you
The Owen Sound Field Naturalists Club kicks off its monthly speaker series at 7PM Thursday September 12 at the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library. Guest speaker Beth Gilhespy is the past CEO of the Bruce Trail Conservancy and is a geology enthusiast. Her presentation will highlight the geology of the Niagara Escarpment. She will also lead a leisurely Owen Sound Bruce Trail hike on September 28.
In addition, there is a plethora of outdoor activities planned for September, including an floral excursion in Sarawak, an Autumn Ramble at Anglesea Nature Trails & Managed Forest, and an introduction to Forest Bathing. For membership details and more please visit www.osfn.ca
In addition the The Young Naturalists’ Club is scheduled to begin on September 29, and is for children aged 7 to 12 years old. Younger and older children are welcome, however ages under 7 must be accompanied by an adult during each meeting. We typically meet once a month from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm (please note offsite trips are planned), but for some events the times may vary. The program operates from September to June but with no meeting in December. Parents or guardians are encouraged to stay and participate or volunteer if they wish. For more information please visit www.osfn.ca or contact the Young Naturalists Coordinator Jody Johnson Pettit at jljohnson@hotmail.com
Recently I have heard from three different sources mention of some negative effects on the wildlife along the rail line west of Benallen, from ATV traffic. In particular that many frogs are being killed as well as the deterioration of the trail conditions for cycling, etc., from the unevenness that results from this usage. There have also been some suggestions about efforts to make this a more harmonious and less deadly sharing of the trail, since the wildlife use it too.
To close, a Nature quote from an upcoming OSFN speaker Alexis Burnett,
The Earth is the ultimate provider and for countless generations our ancestors knew how to survive and live in harmony with nature. By learning and practicing these skills we begin to experience nature in an ancient and meaningful way.
Nature Club News August 2019
NATURE CLUB NEWS August 2019
by John Dickson
For those who have always wondered about the Owls Around Us, Peter Thoem of the Owl Foundation can help with answers. Thoem is the final speaker this summer in the partnering of Grey Roots and Owen Sound Field Naturalists. His presentation, geared to the general public and the entire family, will take place this Sunday August 25th, at 2PM in the Grey Roots theatre.
“It is said that if you’ve got squirrels in your neighbourhood, then you also have owls! Really? How come I never see them?” Naturalist Peter Thoem’s presentation, on behalf of the Owl Foundation, includes dozens of spectacular shots of owls taken here in Ontario. It shows you how owls are everywhere in our culture; they have even made it into our government. The show also deals with the mishaps (mostly man-made) that befall owls. And how the Vineland-based Owl Foundation is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating injured and orphaned owls. After the presentation, stay and meet Rucker, the resident barn owl from Under the Canopy: Animals of the Rainforest!
Regular admission rates apply. FREE for Grey Roots Members and for Owen Sound Field Naturalist Members. Visit www.greyroots.com
Following up on a very successful Spring yard sale in support of NeighbourWoods North, a sold out fund-raising dinner entitled Feast in the Field, was “a financial and enjoyable success.” Hosted by Gleason Brook Winery, catered by Zack Keeshig with Jonathan Brew, along with a silent auction of donated items, and entertainment by Al Crawford, NeighbourWoods North raised raised $8000 and will be able to start “The Healing Path” (an integral component of the tree planting program at the hospital in Owen Sound) much earlier than anticipated.
To see more about this please visit https://www.neighbourwoodsnorth.com/feast-in-the-field
Those trees at the hospital have been receiving extra attention from NeighbourWoods volunteers with watering, trimming and mulching for the past several weeks too.
This summer many people have been remarking on the bountiful sightings of Monarch Butterflies. The Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores hosted a very successful Community Tagging Day a week ago on August 16, successfully tagging 31 Monarch butterflies and documenting the procedure. If you were unable to attend, it has been announced that a similar event will be held on Friday morning August 30, from 10AM to noon, at Perkins Park in Southampton. It is a wonderful activity for the entire family, to learn and participate in some citizen science. For more details please visit https://butterflygardensofss.ca/
At the Piping Plover wrap-up event held August 21, Coordinator Kirsten Snoek reported on the year’s activities with its successes and its failures, and pointed out that only two piping plover chicks from the Sauble Beach nesting sites fledged and were able to fly well enough to leave with the father bird a few weeks ago, starting their long migration south. Andrea Gress also reported on the success, and otherwise, at other sites in Ontario.
The Great Lakes had 71 pairs, up from 67 pairs last year- which is great to see. Ontario had 7 fledglings from 8 pairs. Though the numbers are low this year, we did not have any adult predations which is a very big win.
The Wasaga Beach location had five chicks fledge (develop enough feathers to be able to fly). High water levels in the Great Lakes also had an impact on some of the birds’ nesting efforts, since there was a narrower beach, which, in some cases, still was being shared with human activity. There is also access now to incubation locations in Ontario and a captive rearing centre in Michigan where viable but abandoned eggs, and young hatchlings can be given some extra support in order to contribute to at least some increase in the hoped-for eventual return to a stable breeding population of Piping Plovers, in the Great Lakes basin.
Continuing efforts to inhibit the spread of Dog-Strangling Vine at a site in Owen Sound, are getting increased awareness and volunteers to learn about and help to eradicate this invasive species, where it is found. This campaign, led by Bill Moses and Nancy Brown, recently staged an education opportunity, where identification and techniques being used were highlighted.
Stephane Menu of the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory reports that banding operations have resumed, with most observations being of local birds and their young – especially American Redstarts, Brown Thrashers, Cedar Waxwings, plus two young Eaglets from the Bald Eagles nesting nearby. However migration has already begun for some species as Menu reports:
But, already, there is a pull, there is an urge, there is the inevitable tilt of the Earth’s axis: fall is on its way and migration is starting. The Greater Yellowleg, like so many other shorebirds, has already been answering the call, already have started the long journey South from its boreal and subarctic wetlands all the way to South America. Two Greater Yellowlegs were at Cabot Head on August 16, easily detected at first by their loud calls, then seen gracefully flying over Wingfield Basin.”
Visit www.bpbo.ca to learn more.
Finally, Chronicles of a Bruce County Birder is a wonderful nature blog by Kiah Jasper, that I highly recommend. Introduced to me as a wildlife photographer several years ago when he was fourteen years of age, Kiah has blossomed into one of the best known young birders in the province. His enthusiasm, writing and photography are all exceptional, and on display at https://brucebirdingchronicles.blogspot.com
Lower Indian River Excursion with David Morris
The Geology of the Niagara Escarpment with Beth Gilhespy
Owls Around Us
Sarawak Saunter near Indian Falls with David Morris.
Community Tagging Day at Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores
Dog-Strangling Vine Educational Outing, Aug 7th.
Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 at 10 am Invitation to become familiar with Dog-strangling Vine, walk the site, assess the efforts thus far including spraying, digging, tarping, removing flowers and pods and monitoring. Come and learn about this invasive species new to Grey Bruce. Bill Moses and Nancy Brown will share ways in which others can help. See slide show below for views of the plant, the root, the flagging for dug and sprayed sites and tarping. Location is Tom Thomson Trail 100m north of 26th Street E. Roadside parking.